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I tried the Gecko CF climbers today. I'll say that they are unbelievably light. They definitely do not work with my 16" Climber boots. The top of the boot is midway on the pad and thus digs into my shin. I rolled my boot down below the pad and the Geckos were super comfortable...I just had to get the boot out of the way. I have other shorter boots that I will try next time, but yeah, not good with the 16 inchers. The Gecko CF were so light and comfortable and didn't clank or rattle as they are all one piece. The upper velcro strap was quite adjustable and made getting in and out of them really fast. It will still take some getting used to... as it is a different geometry and feel than what I am used to. There are a lot of things I love about them, and I hope the slight negatives/differences will all disappear as I get used to the new feel.

I got Gecko carbon fiber climbers in the mail today!:dance:
I can't try them out until I have a suitable tree i.e. a removal. But, these are SO light. I mean really! I almost want to wear them around the house. My wife is physically holding me back keeping me from running up one of our trees with these things. I will have to report back when I have some time in them, but it's looking good. Thanks for the push in that direction, these are top quality!

I'm impressed! Good job for researching this! It is hard to keep up with all that can kill you in this line of work. It is very important to keep learning and finding safer ways to do things. I keep finding things that I can improve and think about how lucky I was doing it the way I used to that the circumstances never played out just the wrong way. Even when you are aware of the possible mishaps...we are dealing with organic structures that are all built differently.

Also, with the measurements for the Geckos...what is the knob of the knee joint referring too? Your Patella/knee cap? Or is it the knob on your tibia? ...and how accurate do I need to be? Looks like the sizes are only a difference of an inch.

I think it is more like 240# with gear.
I might be reconsidering my Buck Ti choice...I am liking what you all are saying about the Geckos! I am about 190 with out gear...so that gives me 50# to play with on top of that...:lie:so I'll be narrowing down what gear I want to bring with me...;)I am a gear addict so it could be close.:D pretty soon I am going to be the coolest guy spiking up a tree - like this guy here :dance:

Do you have anything to say about sizing? Did you have trouble finding your size? Does it interface well even while wearing different boots etc? I like the idea of the one solid piece, but I have never tried one on to see how they feel and am pretty far from any arborist supply.

So, question: I have been using Opsal "caddilac" pads, I am looking into getting a new pair and am wondering if I should be looking at the Big Buck Pads? Would I be missing something if I went with the Caddy's again?
Also, I am going to get Buck Tis and wondering if I should get short or long gaffs. I have always climbed on tree gaffs, but have often felt like I would appreciate being in closer. I guess what I am asking is...can you make all my decisions for me?
Thanks!

Here is a thread from TreeBuzz showing the "circle of death" scenario. He, as it shows in the picture, did not get crushed. http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/split-spar-suprise.18061/
Stig has already explained the worry and ways to mitigate this situation. If flashover604 is curious about how a climber keeps a cut section (above the cut) from falling and crushing the climber, then there are a great many ways to control those sections. One would be to tie a tag line at the top end of the piece and have it pulled in a safe direction. Also, judging the lean of the piece and cutting your notch in that direction and then get situated to the side of the hinge - the piece is likely to follow the hinge. But the best way to stay safe is to not tackle a cut that would leave you with an unmanageably large or long section that you are unsure of the direction it will fall. Take pieces you can handle and make sure the piece is influenced by some force to fall the way you want it to. But without being totally sure what the question was referring to I hesitate in getting too involved with explaining proper precautions that should be taken.

Thanks for the welcome, I don't want to distract from the original thread topic...but it is nice to be here!
Also, the Singing Tree Quickie makes for an awesome midline attachable link for retrievable canopy anchors/choking anchors. I just tie a butterfly in my climbing line where I want it and then slip a link of some sort through the loop and capture the leg I will be suspended on. By pulling on the side with the alpine butterfly you retrieve your anchor... and of course by pulling on the other leg that is passed through the link/quickie you tighten the cinching anchor. I am sure I am spelling this all out more than I need to, but I just figured I would be thorough.

The tail is key. If you create a choking anchor with the tail or retrieval side only as long as it needs to be for you to reach it from your next cut. You can then comfortably descend, get set up, and release your anchor dropping it to your new location. It works really well if you are repetitively cutting the same size sections working your way down a spar.
And yes, Hi, I'm new here.